Photo by Eliesa Johnson
Danielle Sakry
Danielle Sakry
*Winner of the Style category
Proprietor: Danielle Sakry
Location: Rice
Purses made by Danielle Sakry
The shapes: modern, yet timeless. The details: impeccable, from hand-painted edges to gold hardware to subtle pockets. The craftsmanship: meticulous. Hard to believe Danielle Sakry taught herself how to make leather bags from YouTube. Like so many industrious, hard-working Northerners, she makes it look easy. Sakry, 32, really is an accidental handbag designer. She had accepted a law school offer at Hamline University, deferred for a year, and that’s when the “putzing around” began. Sakry comes by it rightly—her mom is a costume designer and “always made our clothes, always had a project going on.” So with a bit of time on her hands and creativity in her blood, Sakry picked up leather scraps at SR Harris, bought an industrial sewing machine, and made herself a clutch. “Everywhere I went, people complimented me,” she says. She bought her domain name three years ago, and slowly ramped up production while waiting tables and teaching yoga to pay for supplies. Her fiancé set up a studio above their garage in Rice, north of St. Cloud, and that’s where she works, crafting one bag at a time. She calls herself a reluctant perfectionist. “I’d rather create a bag with longevity and years of use than cut corners,” she says. Now that’s a bag we’d be proud to carry. Prices range from $45 to $680. daniellesakry.com
"Such a depth of entrants! I loved Danielle Sakry's by-hand process, her use of materials from Wisconsin, and her beautiful and timeless designs." —Made in the North Style Judge Carly Broderick, consumer brand consultant
Style Category Finalists
Photo by Terry Brennan
Jewelry from East Fourth Street
East Fourth Street
Proprietor: Susan Crow
Location: Northfield
As the only Minnesotan licensed by the Alliance for Responsible Mining to sell jewelry made from fair-mined gold, Susan Crow creates beautiful pieces using recycled and fair-mined gold and silver, and ethically sourced gemstones. After years as a Target product designer, Crow went back to school at Minneapolis College of Art and Design for a certificate in sustainable design. In 2010, she launched East Fourth Street with a commitment to adhere to sustainable and ethical practices—even though it involves extra expenses and time-consuming audits. It’s all worth it, she says. “I love forms, shapes, textures, and patterns. Most of my inspirations are fed by my surroundings.” eastfourthstreet.com
Photo courtesy of Great Lakes Clothing Co.
Great Lakes Clothing Co. hat
Great Lakes Clothing Co.
Proprietors: David Burke and Spencer Barrett
Location: Minneapolis
David Burke and Spencer Barrett are a couple of Edina grads who grew up living the Minnesota dream: pond hockey tournaments in the winter, and summers at cabins on the lakes. Those memories and that deep Northern pride are the essence of their preppy clothing brand. They weave Minnesota into their garments, from sun-washed button-downs to their classic winter knit hats manufactured in Cloquet. “To be able to create products here that are also inspired by such an important part of our lives is incredibly fulfilling,” Barrett says. Many new products are in the works for this 4-year-old brand, along with a new headquarters in the North Co. building in Northeast Minneapolis. greatlakescollection.com
Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Njord balm
Njord
Proprietor: Will Davis
Location: Minneapolis
The Northern man is not much for fuss, and Njord has packaged that practical spirit into a multitasking men’s grooming balm made with all-natural products and designed for daily use on hair, skin, and lips. “My wife has always been kind of a health nut,” says founder Will Davis, a former Target buyer who got the entrepreneurial bug after spending a summer in Silicon Valley. When Will and his wife, Kelly, moved back to Minnesota, they found their skin drier than ever and started experimenting with home remedies. After more than 100 iterations, the couple came up with a product that uses just seven all-natural ingredients. A Kickstarter campaign last year helped them get it into production, and now they are selling online subscriptions. “We’re advocating fewer, better products,” Davis says. njordup.com
Meet the Guest Judge
Carly Broderick | Made in the North Style Judge
Carly Broderick
Carly Broderick
Carly Broderick is a brand consultant and chairwoman of the Minnesota Super Bowl’s Retail Committee. In her 10 years with Target, she served as a buyer and merchandise planning director and worked on various product categories including toys, sporting goods, and beauty. Broderick started her career in the entertainment world, working on brand building and retail strategies for Merv Griffin Productions and Universal Studios. These days, she’s applying everything she learned working for big business to smaller brands. In 2015, she launched Brodstone Consulting. “I believe small brands wield tremendous power,” she says.
*The Made in the North winners and finalists were determined by guest judges and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine's editorial team.
